


Ash and Dust

by fullmetalsourwolf



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: (in a manly way), Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, The rating will change in future chapters, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-05-14
Packaged: 2017-12-03 15:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/699748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalsourwolf/pseuds/fullmetalsourwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy and Ed find themselves in the midst of another war with only each other to hold on to.</p><p>Set post Brotherhood/manga but I changed the end details a little so Ed still has his alchemy and both automail pieces and the brothers never went on their research travels. Aforementioned characters and relationships will happen in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Krrosec](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krrosec/gifts).



> SO I SAID I WOULD DEDICATE MY NEXT FIC TO KAFF AND I HAVE  
> It's not smut yet but oh it will be do not fear (/^__^)/ \\(^__^\\)  
> Enjoy!

‘Are you serious?’ Ed’s face was thunder ‘You want me to serve in _Ishval?’_  

‘We would be in and out in a month, Fullmetal. There’s no war this time, simply a slight disagreement that needs to be resolved.’ Mustang felt his gut twist at having to ask the boy, but orders were orders. Bring in a few State Alchemists to squash any signs of a rebellion before things got too heavy.

‘Resolved? You want us to go in there slaughtering hundreds while you call it _resolving?’_  

 

Mustang didn’t care to remember the conversation after that, only that it involved a lot of cursing from Edward until he finally agreed.

‘One month. One month and I’m out.’

 

Yet here they were, two years later. This was nothing like the first Ishvalan war. This was like the conflict on the borders of Creta and Aerugo. Ed and Roy had long since resorted to using guns instead of alchemy. They were more subtle than the flashing and crackling that came with alchemical reactions and frankly, more efficient at killing. Roy remembered Edward’s face when he had first pulled a trigger on someone. He had seen any remnants of childhood and innocence shatter behind the boy’s golden eyes and how Ed had dropped to the ground, dizzy and short of breath. The first kill was never easy although more so in Ed’s case who had spent his entire life trying to save people, trying to create life. To have to turn on a dime and start destroying life can’t have been easy for him, to say the least. It made Roy a little sad to think that most eighteen year olds were out chasing girls, careers and dreams and sometimes, when he saw how hardened and merciless this war had made Ed, he wished that he had never asked him. The boy had just got his brother back, for gods’ sake. Didn’t he deserve to relax now? Although, in typical Ed fashion, he had been itching to get his hands on a mission after a week back in Reesembool.

 

In the two years they had served together, the two had developed a comradeship that, although didn’t surface very much, meant they were willing to put their lives on the line to save each other. Both of them had lost count of the amount of times they had gotten angry letters from the Fuhrer reprimanding them for their reckless actions in the field in order to save one another. The other men in their camp sometimes made fun of how determined they were to save each other’s sorry asses, but there wasn’t a lot they could say to the two highest ranking officers in their camp without  receiving punishment, usually in the form of a punch (and an automail punch is something best never experienced).

 

  
*** 

Roy climbed out of the tent he shared with Ed, squinting into the unforgiving Ishvalin sun. The desert reflected the light back at him, making it almost impossible to see more that a hundred yards. This was a fucking awful spot tactically, an entire team of snipers could be waiting in the ruins at midday and nobody would see them until it was too late. However, it was the only spot where supply troops could safely reach them.

‘See anything?’ A voice from behind woke his daydreaming.

‘Huh. You’d be lucky to see a missile in this sun. Worst visibility I’ve ever had to endure, we’re far too vulnerable here, the sooner we move back, the better.’ Roy clenched his fist, hands now calloused and tanned from months without the ignition gloves.

‘Relax, all we’re doing is keeping an eye out for scouts and any Xingese stupid enough to try and cross the desert to help Ishval. C’mon, food’s here.’ Edward led the way back to the encampment to grab first pick of the rations that had come from Supply. Mustang sighed and followed, keen to get the decent bread before the others filched it, as he knew they would. Insubordination was common and mainly unpunished in war.

Ed sat on the edge of his bed nibbling on a piece of bread and rubbing his automail ports. The heat was a bitch to them, though not as bad as the cold. Although in the heat there was the added element of the metal getting hot enough to fry eggs on at any given moment. He pulled out the remnants of the lotion Winry had sent over to him, trying to spread it as thinly as possible; it was a tedious business shipping packages to the front lines. He looked up briefly as he heard the tent rustle and saw the Colonel walk in.

‘Hey there, bastard.’ The name wasn’t used in a malicious sense, more a comradely nickname that had stuck from their earlier years.

‘Fullmetal.’ Roy made his way over to his own bed and flopped down, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing the back of his neck. ‘Automail still giving you trouble?’

‘Mmhmm. Should get better when we move back to the frontlines, less loose sand getting in the workings. Winry’s gonna kill me when she sees it.’ He chuckled softly, remembering Winry’s favourite habit of smacking him upside the head with that wrench, which he never figured out where she hid. Mustang felt a pang of nostalgia, remembering the spats the two used to have. He wondered briefly if anything would have happened between the two had Ed stayed at home, and this led him to thinking about everybody back home. His faithful team; Riza, Havoc, Fuery, Falman and Breda. He wondered how Havoc was doing with his legs. He wondered how Al was getting on without his brother, and his body. No doubt he had got himself to full fitness and was immersed in some project or other. He smiled to himself. Elrics. Incapable of stopping for more than a quick coffee and chat before they were on their next mission.

‘Hey..you ok?’ Came a tentative voice from the other side of the tent. Roy’s head snapped up. ‘You looked..sad.’

‘Huh-oh, no. I’m fine. Just thinking of home, is all.’

Ed smiled sadly. ‘Yeah. I know the feeling. I have a feeling we’ll be home soon, though.’

‘You think?’

Ed got up, put his thin shirt back on and clapped Mustang on the shoulder.

‘Yeah. I do think.’ 

 

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omf sorry I took so long to write this shitty chapter /wheeze
> 
> I promise I'll be faster, I just got super busy but easter holidays are coming so WOO
> 
> Anyway I pretty much used this chapter to meet Katalina and establish some kind of relationship between these two (/^__^)/

‘Ed, _get down!’_

Ed did so, however the force of the explosion was so great it knocked the blonde flying. He lay motionless on the ground.

‘ _Ed!’_ Mustang was by his side, hands on the boy’s shoulders. ‘Fullmetal! _Get up!’_

Ed coughed once before rolling over onto his elbows, hacking. Once his shoulders had stopped heaving, he looked up at the Colonel and spoke, his voice raw and rasping.

‘Alchemy.’ He spat through flecks of blood. ‘That explosion-alchemy.’

Mustang was shocked. ‘You’re sure?’

‘Of course I’m fucking sure, bastard! Don’t question me when it comes to alchemy!’

‘Alright, alright. Can you stand?’

Ed tested, getting to his knees and clinging to Mustang as he got to his feet. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. What’s the plan?’

Mustang was already reaching into his pocket, pulling out a pair of white gloves. ‘If they’re using alchemy, I say we give ourselves a fair fight.’ Ed blinked in surprise, but once he got over the initial shock he flashed a grin.

‘Well, then.’ He pressed his palms together, taking a deep breath as he felt the alchemy stir and send shoots of energy through is veins. ‘Let’s get started.’

‘Lieutenant!’ Roy started barking orders. ‘Take your troop over the ridge, drive them back! The Lt. Colonel and I are going to take care of the alchemy. Second Lieutenant! Take your troop into the buildings and find any possible snipers! Major, you come with us.’

Major Katalina Romana spun around, her short black hair reflecting the harsh sun. ‘Brigadier! Is it an alchemy job?’ 

‘Yes, and we need all we can get. Come on.’ The Major vaulted over a wall of sandbags and started running with the two men, grinning. ‘We need to keep this controlled, we don’t want to escalate this any more than we have to.’

‘Gotcha.’ Katalina clapped her hands together and swiftly erected a wall between them and what looked to be like three other alchemists. ‘That should buy a couple of minutes.’

‘Good work.’ Ed clapped her on the shoulder before instinctively throwing both of them to the ground in an attempt to protect themselves from the blast as the wall was blown to smithereens.

‘Shit!’ Katalina cursed as a wayward piece of rock struck her hard between her shoulder blades. She was knocked forward onto her hands, spitting blood.

‘Major! Get out of here! Get to the medical tent!’ When he saw that the girl was going to argue, he unleashed the ‘Wrath of The Brigadier’, as Ed called it. ‘That’s an order, Captain! _Go!’_

‘Yessir.’

The remaining two alchemists turned their attention back to the three alchemists, who seemed busy constructing some kind of transmutation circle. Roy quickly dispelled their efforts with a sharp snap of his fingers.

‘Nice one bastard!’ Ed clapped his hands together, sending the ground underneath the alchemists flying upwards, scattering the men in all different directions.

‘Easy, Fullmetal. We don’t want to kill them.’ 

‘No, but we can teach them a damn good lesson.’ Ed continued to send shoots of ground spiralling towards the men, forcing them to retreat or be impaled against the nearest building. ‘That should keep them away for a while.’ 

Roy started barking orders at soldiers, while Ed made his way to the medical tent. Katalina was sitting on a table with a nurse tending to the wound on her back, hissing in pain every time the nurse applied dressing. She acknowledged Ed with a sharp nod.

‘How’d it go?’

‘Well, I don’t think they’ll be bothering us anymore.’ Ed chuckled softly. ‘How’s the back?’

‘Not too bad. Should be okay to stay here while it heals, providing I don’t get ambushed by any more flying pieces of rock.’

‘All right, well I’ll let you get some rest now, ok? Take it easy, Major.’

Ed waved a goodbye to the girl and made his way to his own tent. He smiled softly at how much the young Major reminded him so much of himself when he was younger. Entering the tent, he found the Brigadier on his bed, pulling off his gloves. Ed walked over and flopped down onto his own bed. 

‘Man, we should do that again.’ He rubbed the back of his neck.

‘Certainly a good way to burn some energy.’ The Brigadier chuckled in agreement, folding his gloves and putting them in his pocket. Ed stood up and groaned. Even that small amount of intense activity had left his shoulders painful and stiff. He tried to stretch his arms above his head but found it too painful about halfway up. Roy looked on with pity.

‘Come here. Take your shirt off.’ He ordered to Ed, beckoning.

‘Why? What are you gonna do?’ Ed was suspicious.

‘Help you relax. Sit here.’ He motioned to the floor in front of him. Edward sat down, wincing, and Mustang started working small circles with his long, deft fingers, releasing knots and calming aches. Ed damn near moaned when Roy worked near his automail port where the pain was worst.

‘How’d you get so good at this?’

‘Liza, one of the girls at Madame Christmas’s. She had awful back problems and I just liked to help her, so I just kind of picked it up as I went.’

Ed went quiet. Mustang never talked about his family; it astonished Ed when he realised just how little he knew of the man’s youth, when Mustang knew so much about his own. 

‘You alright there?’ The man in question’s voice cut through his thoughts.

‘Hm? Oh, yeah. You’re _really_ good at this.’ Mustang’s hands continued to move, small circles at the base of his neck, moving round to his shoulders, fingertips ghosting along his collarbone while strong palms eased the tense muscle.

‘You still got that cream that Winry gave you?’

‘Nah, used it all up. Can’t get anymore for a while.’ Ed was having a hard time concentrating on his speech with Roy’s hands on his back. He closed his eyes, letting Roy work his magic until the man spoke up again.

‘So, you think we’ll be home soon?’ His voice was low.

‘Yeah, I do. I mean, how much longer can this conflict go on for? It’s gotta end. I’m just worried about how it will. Pretty soon the Ishvalins aren’t going to take this anymore. Can’t say I blame ‘em.’ He gave a dry laugh. ‘I would have had enough a long time ago and obliterated everyone.’

‘Don’t say that, Ed. You sound like a killer.’ 

‘Well, maybe I am. This war’s changed me, Roy.’ He gritted his teeth when he said his name, as if he didn’t want to say it.

‘Maybe so. But you’re still no killer. You’ve spent your entire life saving people and just because you’ve been forced to spend two years at war doesn’t change who you are. You’re still the person who sacrificed his arm to keep his brother alive, and who continued to sacrifice for everyone around you until you reached you goal. And even then you still put your brother above yourself. So someone like you could never become a killer.’

‘But I _have_ killed people.’

‘So have I. In fact, pretty much everyone has killed someone in one war or another. It doesn’t make them _killers._ There’s a difference.’ By this time he had simply rested his hands on Ed’s shoulders, one thumb absently stroking towards his neck. When he caught what he was doing he started and pulled his hands away. 

‘Thanks, bastard. I feel a lot better.’ Roy wasn’t sure if he was talking about the massage or what they had just talked about. Maybe he was talking about both.

‘That’s ok. Anytime.’ Ed put his shirt back on and flopped down on his bed. Roy laid down glancing over at the young man. He had pulled his hair loose so it fell over the pillow, somehow managing to reflect more light than the two candles gave out. Roy turned over, covering his face with his hands.

_Forget about him. He doesn’t need you._

The Colonel closed his eyes and tried not to listen to the soft sounds of Ed’s breathing.

 

_There was blood everywhere. His brother was screaming. He was in immeasurable pain._

 

_‘Take my leg...’_

 

He could feel shaking and a distant voice calling his name.

 

‘ _Take my arm...’_

 

Strong arms wrapped around him, but he still couldn’t distinguish the voice.

 

_‘He’s my little brother, just give him BACK!’_

 

_‘ED!’_

 

Ed woke up, screaming. The arms around him tightened.

‘Ed, shush. You’re okay. It was just a nightmare. You’re fine. I’m here.’ Ed’s wild eyes found the Brigadier’s, full of concern. Shaking and panting his head fell onto Mustang’s chest.

Roy pressed his cheek to the top of the boy’s head, gently rocking back and forth in an effort to comfort him.

‘I’m here. You’re okay.’ His voice was soft and low as if to keep from startling Ed, who was still shaking although his breathing had returned to a more steady rate.

They stayed like that, in silence, for a while until Ed fell into a fitful sleep. Their legs were tangled together and Roy’s arms were still around him. Somewhere Ed had grabbed one of Roy’s hands and now held it to his chest.

After some time Roy also fell asleep, pressed against the young man’s back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ta dah~
> 
> Next chapter we may meet Al! Yay!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Al, Fuery and the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK BASICALLY I THOUGHT I HAD UPDATED THIS FOREVER AGO BUT FOR SOME REASON AO3 DIDN'T UPDATE IT I'M SO SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG
> 
> -ahem.
> 
> So, enter FueryAl. It's so cute it hurts.

Al walked into the office to find only Fuery, scribbling at his desk. He looked up as he heard the door open and smiled.

‘Hey, Al. Are those the reports?’ 

‘Yep’ Al set down the stack of papers and sat down himself, starting to sign them. ‘They’re all boring as hell, just stuff about lunch breaks and uniform changes, but they’ve gotta be done, I suppose.’ Fuery laughed softly and the two worked in companionable silence until the clock rang noon, when Al pushed back from the desk and stretched.

‘Hey, you wanna go out to grab lunch? I don’t really feel like suspicious canteen food today.’

Fuery laughed and stood up. ‘Sounds good to me. How about that new cafe that’s just opened up down the road?’

They walked out of the office, leaving their jackets behind as it was a warm day. As they walked they talked amiably about nothing in particular until they got to the cafe where they found a table in the sun. They both had their shirt sleeves rolled up to their elbows and their top buttons undone in an attempt to alleviate the summer heat. Fuery looked at Al, taking in the way his hair glinted under the sun. These past two years had been good to Al, who had worked on building his strength and getting himself to full health. It had paid off and now he was in excellent health and shape, with lean muscle and a lithe, athletic physique. Fuery felt his ears go red and looked away. Deciding to break the silence, he spoke.

‘So, any news from Ed?’

Al’s eyes went down and he swallowed. ‘I get letters sometimes, but the post out there’s not so good, so they often take a long time to get here. Nothing much is happening apparently, just the same old. How about you; any news from Mustang?’

Fuery shook his head. ‘Apart from the occasional official letter, not much. Sometimes a personal letter to the whole team will come through, but it’s rare.’ The two carried on eating quietly, consumed by thoughts of the war, until a friendly and familiar voice broke the silence.

‘Fancy seeing you two here!’ The two men looked up to see Jean Havoc, cigarette in mouth with Rebecca an his arm.

‘Havoc! Rebecca!’ Fuery exclaimed and the two men jumped up to shake Havoc’s hand and give Rebecca a hug. ‘How are you both?’

‘Hm, same old, same old. Can’t complain. You?’ 

‘Not bad; little stressed with the workload but what’s new?’ Havoc laughed.

‘You see this is why I quit the military; running my own store means my own hours and nobody to boss me around.’ Rebecca laughed at his side, rubbing his shoulder.

‘I wouldn’t say _nobody_ to boss you around, chief.’ Havoc chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. 

 

The four of them chatted happily for a good few hours, losing track of the time. They reminisced about old times at the military and talked about their lives now until Al glanced at his watch.

‘Oh-crap! It’s almost three!’

‘Shit!’ Fuery scrambled out of his chair to his feet. ‘Well, it was great to catch up, but Al and I really gotta get going!’ They bid hasty goodbyes and set off running towards Central Command. ‘Hawkeye’s gonna kill us!’ He panted. They both skidded to a halt at the door of the office and took a moment to compose themselves before stepping into the office, still flushed and out of breath.

 

The dim chatter in the office was silenced as they walked in. Breda, Falman and Hawkeye were all in there. Breda looked them both up and down and raised an eyebrow.

‘We were wondering when you two would show up.’

Fuery’s eyes went wide and his ears went scarlet. He pushed his glasses up his nose and walked to his desk, trying to pretend he hadn’t heard Breda. Al simply stood in the doorway, looking dumbfounded. Shaking his head a little, he sat at his desk and pulled the reports closer to him, skimming the text.

 

Three hours later, Al was the only one left in the office, finishing up on a few reports. His mind wandered idly to the events of the day, namely his lunch with Kain. He liked Kain. He was quiet and well-mannered, much like Al himself, and he was also very intelligent which was something Al recognised and appreciated, possibly more than the rest of the team did.

Al also found him very attractive.

He felt heat spreading across his cheekbones, which was absurd seeing as there was nobody around to be embarrassed in front of. He couldn’t help it, though. He didn’t want to say he became completely incoherent and silly when he was around him, but he did find himself laughing just a little bit louder and blushing just a little bit more. Al shook his head, trying to focus on the paperwork.

 

Roy was sitting on his bed, resting his elbows on his knees, reading through a report concerning weapons costs, when Ed came flying in and stopped before he collided into Mustang, panting.

‘What on earth’s got into you?’ Roy set the report aside and stood up in front of Ed.

‘This-it’s...’ Ed flapped a piece of paper around. ‘It’s-oh, I don’t have the breath. Read it.’ He thrust the paper into the Colonel’s chest, where he only just managed to grab it before Ed collapsed onto the bed. Roy took the paper, curious to know what had got the young man in such a state, and flipped it open.

His eyes got wider as he read on.

‘You’re _joking.’_

A muffled ‘ _Nuh-uh’_ came from Ed’s general direction.

‘Holy _shit.’_

 

Al slung his jacket over the coat stand and stretched. It was good to be home, and he really wanted some Xingese takeout. Most days he cooked himself a healthy meal, but today had been long and he was far too exhausted to bother about such things, even if it did mean going out again. However he did decide to catch a few minutes’ nap, and so made his way upstairs, kicking off his boots as he went. Just as he was about to open his bedroom door, the phone rang.

‘Oh, what?’ He grumbled to himself and went to pick it up. ‘Hello?’

The voice at the other end snapped him to attention.

_‘Brother?_ Wait, huh? Brother, slow _down._ I can’t understand a word you’re saying. Start again.’

Al’s mouth and eyes shot open.

‘What do you mean the war’s _over?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bam. Sorry it's so short and sorry for AO3 fucking up D:

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and all that jazz much appreciated :)


End file.
